It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

Thanksgiving is over which means that Christmas is just around the corner. I spent several hours putting up all my Christmas decorations yesterday and if I do say so myself the house looks wonderful! I love putting up the decorations each year. It is such a magical time for me. I don't rush it, I take my time and do it all very thoughtfully. As I "poof" out the branches on my Christmas tree I think of all the years we would gather as a family in the living room and we'd each take a section of the tree to "poof". It was almost a race to see who could get done with their section first. My tree is pre-lit which is a good thing, cuz I'm not very good at putting the lights on the tree, that was always mom's job...she did it best! I love pulling out my ornaments one by one and thinking of the memories they hold. Some are new and some I made when I was 5 or 6. Some were given to me by special friends I've lost touch with. My favorite 2 are of the nativity. I have one ornament of the nativity that is gold with a shimmery backdrop that looks awesome when the lights reflect off of it. I've had this ornament for as long as I can remember. It has always been my favorite. We used to hang it on the tree every year, then my mom started doing the tree in themes. I would always put the ornament up and she would take it down again saying it didn't fit in with the theme of the tree. However, no matter how many times we went through that routine I always snuck back and put it on the tree. It's just not Christmas without that ornament. Because of my fascination with snowglobes I have a lot of Christmas ones. Normally they just sit on a shelf in my office room, but at this time of year they are brought out and neatly placed all over the house, it's awesome! Just like my ornaments these snowglobes have a lot of meaning for me due to the stories behind each one. As I set up the different nativity sets I have I take time to ponder about the real reason for this season, the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. I feel close to the spirit as I delicately handle each piece of the nativity and contemplate what it would have been like to be there on that special night. Once all the decorations are in place I sit back and take a deep breath as I let the warmth of the season into my heart. It's such a special feeling. It's like a cure=all to any trial one may be facing.

I am so thankful for Christmas and special spirit it brings into my home and my life!